Ella Martin’s always done what she should. But has she lost touch with what she wants? When she gets the call that her father and stepmother have been injured in a freak accident, coming home to Green Pines to take care of them isn’t really what she’d planned. She’s spent her life getting away from small-town Green Pines. If ever there was a dying community in need of Ella’s expertise in neighborhood revitalization, though, this is it. She’s willing to give a shot at saving Green Pines, but things get complicated when billionaire real-estate developer Covington Black moves in up the road. Sure, she’s got a crush on him – who wouldn’t? But he’s just taken out an injunction to keep her from picketing his construction sites, so when he starts romancing her, he must be up to something. Whatever game he’s playing, she knows he’s only going to break her heart. Covington Black knows what he wants. He’s seeking solace in the only place he’s ever been truly happy – his grandfather’s farm in Green Pines. He’s got big plans for the place and he’s looking for a partner to share his dreams with. He wants to believe Ella’s the one, and yet it seems like falling for her is the one thing he shouldn’t have done. A tender tale that hits the sweet spot at the intersection of family, community and the love of your life.
Bubby: I just fell in love with Reclaiming Home. It had everything I am looking for in a book – romance, intrigue, obnoxious relatives, you name it. The romance bit of the plot was a bit predictable but only in the best way – that of a happy ending. In other words, it ended just the way I hoped it would. I loved the setting of Green Pines. Me and Sissy, we are small town girls and this town felt like it could have been home. My best friend’s dad ran the town lumber yard/hardware store and we always knew that if we had done something naughty Friday night our dads would be discussing it over paint and lumber on Saturday.
Sissy: That pretty much happened every Saturday, in other words. Dad had discussions with the Baptist minister about me and all my good works, on the other hand. Nauseating, really. Bubby and I were both like Ella in that after high school we couldn’t wait to get out of town forever, but we weren’t altruistic like her–we never went back and saved the town. I think we let the casino take care of that–right Bubby? Anywhoodle, this is a situation where we both read a list of books and then tell each other which ones are good so we can review them and Bubby got the best of the lot–Reclaiming Home by Milou Koenings. It was a delight to read from start to finish, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Unlike most of the books on my list, which were crap.
Bubby: Tell me about it! It was such a relief to read something both well written and clean! Milou Koenings does not feel the need to swear every third word or have her characters making mad passionate love at the drop of a hat. Instead she writes about relationships and self-exploration. I loved the character of Johnny, Tony Black’s younger brother. He is a sweet and kind soul and the kindness that Ella shows to him is what attracts Tony to her in the first place. I see a deep thought in there somewhere- something about how hard we try to attract attention when all we really have to do is be the kindest possible person to those around us that we can be. See? I have depth. I am a philosopher at heart!
Sissy: And then you woke up… Ella’s sister Katie is a well-written character that I love to hate. But she provides a dramatic understory and a lovely tale of redemption. This is one of those books where you just fall into the story and it carries you along and two hours later you become cognizant of your surroundings and say “Oh rats! The book is over!” and you are sad and head directly to Milou Koenings’ website to see if she’s written anything else because she’s that good.
Bubby: Wow, Sissy. Run-on sentence much? But I have to agree. I spent a great deal of time reading the website because she’s dang funny! Unfortunately, there are no other books yet. But we can hope that there will be soon. Loved it. 4 1/2 bubbles.
Sissy: I swear I read somewhere that there would be another tale set in Green Pines. I’m going to read it. Reclaiming Home gets 4.5 bubbles from me.
Click HERE to buy Reclaiming Home by Milou Koenings at Amazon.com
We received a copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review from Netgalley.com
© Bubble Bath Books 2014
Sissy and Bubby thank you so much for such a great review! I just spent a delicious hour reading your blog and loving the give-and-take between you two. You are so funny! Discovering your blog made my day 🙂 And yes, there’s definitely another Green Pines romance in the pipeline – it should be out before the summer. Thanks again, ladies. I’m looking forward to reading more of your posts!
Thanks so much for dropping by! We are so glad you like us!
I loved this book–it was a real “picker-upper.” Milou, I appreciate the admirable characters you created, particularly Ella. What a woman! Your younger readers will have a strong, sensible heroine to emulate. Looking forward to the sequel.